Rule book for Heretaunga waterways nears delivery

A plan, which outlines how land and water in the Heretaunga Plains will be managed in the future is nearing completion, after more than six years of work.

The 30-plus members of the TANK Group are nearing the end their role to deliver a draft Plan Change for the catchments known as TANK – the Tutaekuri, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamū waterways, and the substantial aquifer beneath.

Three monthly meetings remain before the Group delivers and effectively ‘passes the baton’ of a draft TANK Plan to the Regional Planning Committee for its consideration, and subsequent adoption by Council.

The draft TANK Plan will represent the community’s values attached to these freshwater bodies and outline ways to manage land and water through objectives, policies, rules, limits and other means.

“This has been one of our Council’s most complex and resource-intensive projects,” says Regional Planning Committee Co-Chair Rex Graham.

“The TANK Plan will be our rule book to manage the aquifer and rivers where more than three quarters of Hawke’s Bay people live and work. This is significant,” adds Mr Graham.

The handover is expected to take place mid-year.

BACKGROUND

85% of Hawke’s Bay people live and work on the Heretaunga Plains. The draft TANK Plan developed collaboratively by the TANK Group is making sure that the water resources in this area, including the Heretaunga aquifer, are used sustainably.

The Regional Planning Committee (RPC) with an equal number of Regional Councillors and Tāngata Whenua Group representatives is the co-governance group for the management of natural resources in Hawke’s Bay.

The TANK Group was assembled by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council in 2012, with representatives from Tāngata Whenua, sectors, environmental groups, land users and councils.

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